When this series was conceived, a book on substance abuse, including alcohol and alcoholism, was to be of the highest priority. This priority was a reflection of my view that the subject is often inadequately or insufficient ly taught in many training programs. Few clinicians have had comprehen sive didactic education in this area, despite the frequency with which these problems are encountered in practice. All too often these encounters are in situations in which accurate diagnosis and rapid treatment are of critical im portance. We wanted a book that would be concise and easily readable but...